VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2017-2018 - VESTAS 11TH HOUR RACING SUSTAINABILITY REPORT #LEADINGSUSTAINABILITY
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CONTENTS 1 FOREWARD 13 MAKING AN IMPACT 13 - Exploration Zone 14 - Legacy Project 2 #LEADING SUSTAINABILITY 15 - Ocean Summits 16 - Media & Fan Engagement 4 THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2017-18 5 - Volvo Ocean Race Sustainability Program 17 OPERATIONS & REDUCTION ACHIEVEMENTS 6 - Boats and Logistics 18 - Environmental Footprint 19 - Greenhouse Gases (GHG) Emissions 7 BECOMING THE MOST SUSTAINABLE 20 - Carbon Footprint Tracking TEAM IN THE RACE 21 - Operational Scope 22 - Vestas 11th Hour Racing Carbon Footprint 7 - Background 23 - Carbon Footprint Compensation - 8 - Sustainability Training Seagrass Grow 9 - Planning for Sustainability 24 - Boat Repair 10 - Implementation and Monitoring 25 - Water Footprint 26 - Waste Footprint 11 POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS 27 - Dismasting 11 - Co-Title Partners 28 - Waste Footprint Compensation 11 - Sub-Sponsor 29 - Infographic 11 - Team Suppliers 12 - Musto Supplier Challenge - 30 APPENDIX 30 - File Links Musto Reduces Plastic Usage by 70% 30 - Inclusions and Exclusions
FOREWARD We are incredibly proud of the legacy our team Vestas, the global leader in sustainable energy has created with our sustainability initiatives. solutions, aligned organically with our goals When we started the Volvo Ocean Race and with 11th Hour Racing’s leadership and campaign in 2017, our goal was to achieve mission. We felt that this partnership would exemplary results in sport and sustainability. send a powerful signal - with two leading players within sustainability combining forces We proved that racing for two very different to promote sustainable solutions within trophies on and off the water united the team wind and water. with a common ethos, without hindering performance, and fostered powerful With these ambitious goals we put together partnerships across our stakeholders - a team of trusted, talented and passionate ultimately helping us face adversity with individuals, and we drafted a robust perseverance and great determination. sustainability strategy. Hiring Damian Foxall as the team’s Sustainability Manager was a The process of creating Vestas 11th Hour key milestone of our campaign that enabled Racing started during the last edition of Volvo us to get started in our journey with great Ocean Race (2014-15). While reflecting on knowledge, skill, enthusiasm, and leadership. how much marine debris we saw as we sailed around the world with Team Alvimedica, we This sustainability report offers a knew we wanted to compete again, using comprehensive description, supported by the platform of sport to raise awareness on real data, of how our team was the most pressing environmental issues, and helping to sustainable to compete in the Volvo Ocean source solutions to mitigate the problem. Race. Most importantly, it demonstrates how performance, sustainability, and business can As sailors, we have a direct connection to Having already worked with 11th Hour merge into a successful and replicable model the ocean. It’s our office, our playground, Racing since the beginning of 2011 with All- for the industry and beyond. American Offshore Team when we raced in the and our livelihood; ultimately we Transatlantic Race, it was a natural progression Along with this report, which we hope will are responsible for taking care of it. for us to partner officially with the organization serve as a guide for other teams looking to to carry the message of sustainability through become more sustainable. Circumnavigating the globe opened our eyes to the 2017-18 edition of the Volvo Ocean Race. the tremendous amount of pollution that exists and has motivated us to do something about it. Mark Towill, Team Director - Vestas 11th Hour Racing Charlie Enright, Skipper - Vestas 11th Hour Racing – Charlie Enright, Skipper & Mark Towill, Team Director 1
The unique journey by Vestas 11th Hour Racing of #leadingsustainability has been a hugely rich experience for all of the team members. We managed to significantly reduce our footprint, we reached out to millions of fans and most importantly we were able to leave a lasting legacy. The privilege to coordinate this project has given me a strong belief that our sport has a key role to play in the future of our ocean. This was the first time a comprehensive approach was taken to integrate sustainability as a core element of a Volvo Ocean Race team. The opportunities, challenges and the final achievements contained in this report showcase what is possible for sailing teams and the sailing industry as a whole. Engaging the team from the outset, with training received at the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, helped define the sustainability strategy, objectives and boundaries of the sustainability plan which focused on the following: POSITIVE OUTREACH SUSTAINABLE OPERATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT The team used the platform of the Volvo Ocean Race to raise The team ran its operations using best practices to promote The team used stringent global reporting guidelines to track, awareness of ocean health and environmental issues, and focus on sustainability values and footprint reduction from the outset of calculate and report on their emitted carbon, water, and sustainable solutions. This included: the campaign. This was demonstrated by partner relationships, waste footprints. The final environmental footprints have been sourcing suppliers, and across the network of team operations - acknowledged and compensated for, some highlights included: examples include: • Connecting directly with the public through outreach and • The team’s carbon footprint of 1,218 tonnes CO2e was education via media relations, social media and in person • The team’s technical clothing supplier Musto reduced compensated for with a blue carbon offset program. at each stopover. their packaging footprint by 70% or a projected 11,000 • Participating in the Meatless Mondays initiative saved • Public speaking engagements and conferences including kilograms of plastic each year. a staggering 677,000 liters of water, and compensated presenting at the Volvo Ocean Race Ocean Summits to • Team supplier Bluewater provided on-site drinking water for the 14,919 liters of water the team used during the discuss ocean health issues with local and solutions preventing the use of 9,600 liters of water, campaign. international leaders. 2,000 liters of fuel and 6.64 tonnes CO2e. • The team compensated for their waste footprint through • Participating in a legacy project, supported by 11th Hour a ghost fishnet recovery initiative that will recover more Racing, which allowed the team to award a grant to a local than 2 tonnes of old fishing gear from the ocean. organization at each stopover, and further their mission. • The outreach program was leveraged by a concerted communications effort generating over 313 million media impressions that mentioned sustainability. The results and methodology contained in this report establish an industry-recognized baseline for a Volvo Ocean Race team environmental footprint report. Additionally, a suite of generic tracking, calculating and reporting tools are being developed to streamline the future process of reporting environmental footprints, and acknowledging sustainability responsibilities for the wider sailing community. Damian Foxall Sustainability Manager & Sailor 2 Vestas 11th Hour Racing
Across the country and around positive change in the way we the world, the sailing community think about energy and the natural knows that our livelihoods and resources of the planet. As co-title our passions are tied to healthy sponsors of this team, we engaged oceans. We also know that the fans in increasing understanding manufacturing, transportation and about our vital connection to widespread enjoyment of sailing the oceans and showcase how can have a negative impact on embedding sustainability in a top- ocean health. That’s why we focus level professional sports team can on the discovery and promotion drive performance, efficiency, of the most sustainable practices and innovation. across our sport and industry. Our - Jeremy Pochman, 11th Hour Racing partnership with Vestas 11th Hour Co-Founder, and Strategic Director. Racing has been about inspiring 3
THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE 2017- 2018 The 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race was the longest and one of the most grueling editions of this iconic marathon around the planet that started in 1973. The 45,000 nautical mile race started in Alicante, Spain, on 22nd October 22, 2017, and finished - 11 legs and 12 stopovers later - in The Hague, The Netherlands, on 24th June 24, 2018. With three teams in close contention for the overall win until the very last miles, it was the closest and the most nail-biting finish the race has ever seen. LIST OF COMPETITORS The global platform of the Volvo Ocean Race meant that in each of the 12 landmark host cities, Vestas Team AkzoNobel 11th Hour Racing had a unique opportunity to engage with the Team Brunel local community, understand local issues and spread their sustainability Dongfeng Race Team message to a global audience. MAPFRE While racing, Vestas 11th Hour Team Sun Hung Kai/Scallywag Racing also leveraged the powerful communications platform of the race Turn the Tide on Plastic - featuring high-quality storytelling using real, respected characters - to Vestas 11th Hour Racing engage with their audience, foster positive behavior change, drive the conversation, and discuss issues with local relevance. 4
VOLVO OCEAN RACE SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM FEEDING FREENZY As ocean racers, all those involved in the Volvo Ocean Race recognize the critical environmental challenges facing us. That’s why the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18 Sustainability Program focused on ocean health, specifically on plastic pollution. THE RACE ORGANIZERS IDENTIFIED THREE CLEAR DIRECTIVES: Maximize Impact - To maximize the race’s impact using its global communications platform to spread awareness, an educational programme to change views, and a science programme, using the Volvo Ocean 65 racing yachts to capture data while at sea and contribute to our understanding of the oceans in the most remote areas of the planet. Minimize Footprint - To minimize the race’s own footprint with a particular focus on reducing, and where possible, eliminating the use of single-use plastic in the Race Villages – a challenging task but one that will help to While racing on Leg 4 from Melbourne change behavior. to Hong Kong, Vestas 11th Hour Racing witnessed an incredible sight, a feeding Leave a Positive Legacy - To leave a positive legacy wherever the Race goes, through our actions and through frenzy of whales and sharks. The team’s onboard reporter, Amory Ross, quickly the creation of Ocean Summits to bring together science, government, sport, and business, with an objective of grabbed his drone and captured a bird’s getting attending parties to commit to new positive actions in this area. eye view. Afterward, the team reflected on the beautiful sight and the video went viral. Volvo Ocean Race was able to achieve these goals by partnering with 11th Hour Racing, the Founding Principle Click on the video to watch. Partner of the Sustainability Program and Principal Race Partner, along with a set of credible partners with a global reach and a strategic alignment. 5
BOATS AND LOGISTICS The introduction of the one design VO65 The 2017-2018 Volvo Ocean Race route map, which included 12 stopovers and 45,000 nautical miles of racecourse. for the 2014-15 edition was a revolutionary move by the race organizers which would dramatically reduce team entry costs and increase the competitiveness of the boats on the water. By racing one-design boats the build costs and efficiencies were significantly decreased, and the technical services during the race could be centralized into the Volvo Ocean Race managed ‘Boatyard.’ These actions provided a significant footprint reduction for each team, thanks to the ability to share equipment, logistical support, and staff. The use of the same boats for the 2017-18 edition - negating the need to build new ones and the associated footprint - was one of the most significant reductions of the whole race. The continued centralized Boatyard encouraged scale and economy within the material and spared inventory, further reducing the overall footprint of the race. 6
BECOMING THE MOST SUSTAINABLE TEAM IN THE RACE BACKGROUND CARBON FOOTPRINT OF TEAM ALVIMEDICA IN THE The 2014-15 edition of the Volvo the 2014-15 Volvo Ocean Race 2014-15 VOLVO OCEAN RACE Ocean Race with Team Alvimedica were used to create a sustainability was the first lap of the planet for plan and overall carbon footprint Charlie Enright and Mark Towill. estimate, setting an important The satisfaction of competing in baseline. Team Alvimedica’s the most grueling race on earth Sustainability Report would also Events 0.3% was curbed by seeing the impact offer 55 South and Vestas 11th that human activity is having on our Hour Racing an important starting Waste 1.5% ocean first hand. For their second point as they planned to the lap of the planet, Charlie and Mark 2017-18 edition. Lodging 4.1% knew they wanted to race for with a higher message, and looked to In preparation for the 2017- Shipping 1.5% see how they could implement 18 Volvo Ocean Race, Mark sustainability into their program. and Charlie committed their Land Travel 0.9% management company 55 South Sustainability is challenging to to an ambitious mission - leading Air Travel 91.9% implement retrospectively - a sustainability on and off the water, lesson carefully avoided for the while aiming at a podium finish. next edition - but operations for 7
SUSTAINABILITY TRAINING A key element to the successful implementation of the team’s goals was to ensure the crew was well educated on ocean health issues and their sustainability efforts. With one month to go before the start of the Volvo Ocean Race, Vestas 11th Hour Racing sailors, shore team, partners, and suppliers filled the halls of the University of Cambridge in England, one of the world’s oldest universities and leading academic centers, for a seminar hosted by 11th Hour Racing at Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), with British Antarctic Survey (BAS). The objective of the session focused on global environmental challenges related to climate change and ocean health was to increase the team’s understanding and confidence as ambassadors for sustainability, with specific attention to how an individual can take action. To sail around the world is a knowledge comes a deep sense of privilege, I’ve done it once and I responsibility and the education look forward to doing it again with today at the Cambridge Institute for a team dedicated to protecting Sustainability Leadership has given the planet. When out at sea, the the team a stronger understanding contrast of encountering beautiful of how a sports team can ignite wildlife one day and plastic change around the world. Photo credit: P. Bucktrout, BAS pollution the next is truly an eye- Mark Towill, Co-founder & Team Director of Vestas 11th Hour Racing Charlie Enright, Skipper, holding a piece of 1,000-year-old ice. opening experience. With that Vestas 11th Hour Racing. 8
PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY 3. Environmental Footprint - the team would track and report on their The work done by Alvimedica in the 2014-15 campaign gave the newly formed operations, build industry understanding of impacts, and offset their carbon Vestas 11th Hour Racing team an excellent starting point from which they could footprint at the end of the race. build a comprehensive and robust sustainability plan. 4. Compliance - the team would follow the most stringent local and global marine and environmental regulations and conduct environmental reporting WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY? aligned with international standards. Sustainability is based on a simple principle: Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. To pursue sustainability is to create and The next step was to develop a detailed Sustainability Plan that included the maintain the conditions under which humans and nature can exist in following elements: productive harmony to support present and future generations.1 • Travel Policy The first step was for the team to define what sustainability meant to them and • Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP) plan how they could have the most impact during their year-long campaign. Four areas • Food Charter of influence were identified: • Sustainable Operations Plan • Monitoring/Reporting 1. Positive Outreach - the team would use their platform and leadership to raise awareness of ocean health and environmental issues. • Carbon Footprint Tracking • Sustainability Communications Plan 2. Operations - the team would run its activities on and off the water in a sustainable manner, incorporating best practices, and sourcing suppliers with sustainability values. 1 https://www.epa.gov/sustainability/learn-about-sustainability#what (US Environmental Protection Agency). 9
IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING BY THE NUMBERS 92% of the team’s housing was within walking, biking, or public transit distance of each stopovers race village. To ensure that everyone on the team fully understood the specifics and roles to implement the sustainability plan successfully, Mark Towill and Charlie Enright Photo credit: Atila Madrona/ Vestas 11th Hour Racing Each container held a set of bikes for all team members and staff, ensuring they had the ability to choose to appointed six-time Volvo Ocean Race veteran and ocean advocate Damian bike instead of drive a car. Foxall as the team’s Sustainability Manager. Damian would direct and oversee the daily operations and would also be responsible for monitoring, tracking and The GRI Standards help organizations build sustainability reports that reflect reporting on the objectives and achievements. The team’s Logistics Manager, their social, environmental and economic impacts. For Vestas 11th Hour Aimee Famularo, also provided significant support by tracking the team’s Racing, this meant monitoring and tracking a range of quantitative and accommodations and flights as well as the freight logistics - the three largest qualitative performance indicators, e.g., waste footprint and educational contributors to the team’s overall carbon footprint. outreach respectively. The GHG Protocol helped the team to specifically track and measure their GHG emissions to enable a standardized calculation of their Before the start of the race, the team worked with industry professionals to Carbon Footprint which they would then offset. develop a tracking and reporting structure aligned with the GRI Standards (Global Reporting Initiative sustainability reporting standards) and Two other documents that the team specifically produced for guidance were GHG (Greenhouse Gas) Protocol. the Food Charter, committing the team to source local sustainable food around the world, and the EPP (Environmental Purchasing Policy), to drive responsible purchasing decisions and encourage partners and suppliers to do the same. 10
POWER OF PARTNERSHIPS TEAM SUPPLIERS SOS - Electrolyte Hydration Vestas 11th Hour Racing was supported by a series of partners and stakeholders fully aligned with the SOS is a fast-acting electrolyte replacement drink made from team’s ethos and committed to their sustainability goals. non-GMO and organic ingredients, created to prevent and combat dehydration due to physical performance. CO-TITLE PARTNERS https://store.sosrehydrate.com/ Vestas Vestas is the energy industry’s global partner on sustainable energy solutions. We design, manufacture, install, and Bluewater - Water Filtration service wind turbines across the globe, and with 94 GW of wind turbines in 79 countries, we have installed more Bluewater water purifiers deliver the world’s most effective tap water wind power than anyone else. Through our industry-leading smart data capabilities and unparalleled 79 GW of wind cleaning technology, removing over 99% of most known pollutants. turbines under service, we use data to interpret, forecast, and exploit wind resources and deliver best-in-class wind www.bluewatergroup.com power solutions. Together with our customers, Vestas’ more than 24,300 employees are bringing the world sustainable energy solutions to power a bright future. Karün - Sunglasses > More information at www.vestas.com Karün created a dedicated series of Volvo Ocean Race sunglasses, made from recycled fishing nets and recycled carbon fiber. 11th Hour Racing https://karunworld.com/collections/sailing-collection 11th Hour Racing establishes strategic partnerships within the sailing and maritime communities to promote collaborative, systemic change benefitting the health of the ocean – one degree at a time. Aethic - Sunblock Since 2010, 11th Hour Racing has been harnessing the power of sport with an innovative and comprehensive Aethic Sôvée is the world’s first sunscreen to be certified Marine Positive, approach through three primary areas of engagement: Partners, Grantees, and Ambassadors. having invested in a unique patent-pending eco-compatible formula > More information at www.11thhourracing.org of its own, proven completely safe for both corals and clams. www.aethic.com SUB-SPONSOR Argo Group Musto - Clothing Argo Group International Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ: AGII) is an international underwriter of specialty insurance and As the world’s leading sailing brand, Musto continually pushes the reinsurance products in the property and casualty market. Argo Group offers a full line of products and services boundaries of design and innovation. They create technical performance designed to meet the unique coverage and claims handling needs of businesses in four primary segments: Excess & clothing that provides athletes across multiple disciplines with ocean Surplus Lines, Commercial Specialty, International Specialty and Syndicate 1200. engineered protection for all weather conditions. > More information at www.argolimited.com www.musto.com 11
MUSTO SUPPLIER CHALLENGE - MUSTO REDUCES PLASTIC USAGE BY 70%BIL When it comes to reducing plastic usage in the marine industry, there are many avenues for improvement, and the clothing sector is no exception. As the Official Supplier of Sailing Apparel and Footwear for the Volvo Ocean Race, Musto knew this was an opportunity to improve their company’s environmental impact. In December 2016, Musto was challenged by Vestas 11th Hour Racing and the Volvo Ocean Race to reduce their environmental impact by finding a more sustainable alternative to plastic packaging. The project resulted in a savings of more than 4,000 kg of plastic packaging across two product collections and has paved the way for Musto to save over 11,000 kg of plastic each year. As part of this effort and in partnership with 11th Hour Racing and the sustainability team at the Volvo Ocean Race, Musto identified using pre-consumer waste materials as the best product available for creating their garment bags instead of virgin plastic. The company also determined that adding an extra fold in the clothing and reducing the thickness of the plastic bag along with other initiatives, would enable them to reduce 70% of the plastic used in the manufacture, packaging, and delivery of Musto’s 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race Collection. At the first Ocean Summit in Alicante, Spain, in October 2017, Nigel Musto announced that Musto had become the first private business to support the United Nations Environment Clean Seas campaign officially. > Musto Case Study We are excited to partner with the Volvo Ocean Race and Vestas 11th Hour Racing in producing our most innovative and sustainable packaging to date and hope this will help raise awareness of ocean health. We are proud of the sustainability innovations we have made in 2017 and remain committed to further exploring this area in the future. - Petra Carran, Head of Marketing, Musto 12
LITYMAKING AN IMPACT The international format of the Volvo Ocean Race, as innovations to prevent micro-fiber well as the tens of millions of race fans and followers, pollution, and the principles of a circular gave Vestas 11th Hour Racing a unique opportunity economy. The concept and contents of to magnify their message and engage with a global the Exploration Zone were developed with audience. Vestas and 11th Hour Racing featured various different organizations such as The team’s legacy focused on three main Schmidt Ocean Institute, Saildrone, the areas of engagement: Rozalia Project, The New Plastics Economy and The team's Exploration Zone focused on educating visitors on the power of wind and the importance of the ocean to our everyday lives. the UN Environment Clean Seas campaign. 1. Team Base Exploration Zone 2. Legacy Project A virtual reality headset offered fans the opportunity the team chose a local not-for-profit organization 3. Volvo Ocean Race Ocean Summit Series to stand on top of a wind turbine and a grinder, just recognized for its work on specific environmental like one on the boat, captured fans’ attention and issues connected to ocean health, with local EXPLORATION ZONE showcased how much energy it takes to charge a cell relevance to the host city and surrounding region. All teams had different options and configurations phone or turn on a light bulb. The entire space was to choose from for their Race Village bases. While a dedicated to raising awareness of critical issues and During the grant activations, Vestas 11th Hour portion of each base was needed for team operations inspiring the desire for positive change. Racing team members spent a morning with each and hospitality, the teams were also required to organization to learn about their mission and engage grant access to the general public. Vestas 11th Hour LEGACY PROJECT with their work. 11th Hour Racing awarded a Racing devoted their public space to a free, interactive Supported by 11th Hour Racing, the Legacy Project $10,000 grant to each organization and promoted educational space focused on wind and water - the gave the team the opportunity to experience and their work and their collaboration with the team ‘Exploration Zone.’ More than 99,300 visitors came highlight some of the work happening around the world through a dedicated communications plan that through this space over the course of the race, learning to mitigate human impacts on our ocean. At each race included creating a short educational outreach film. about renewable energy solutions, ocean research, stopover, with guidance from The Ocean Foundation, Below is a map outlining each grantee as the team raced around the world. 13
It’s been fascinating and an honor to meet with so many different NGOs from around the world and learn about what affects their local communities. It’s been inspiring to see how many individuals are truly passionate about improving the health of the oceans that we crossed as we’ve sailed around the globe. We are incredibly proud of the work we have accomplished as a team in raising awareness about specific environmental issues to millions of fans LEGACY PROJECT and followers, leveraging the high visibility of this fantastic race. - Mark Towill, Team Director, Vestas 11th Hour Racing. Guangzhou CHN China Blue Gothenburg SWE WWF Sweden Cardiff GBR Cambridge Institute For Sustainability Leadership Hong Kong SAR CHN Ocean Recovery Alliance Newport USA Lisbon POR Alicante ESP Save The Bay Circular Asociación De sustainable seafood Economy Portugal Naturalistas Del Sureste 11 sustainable fisheries leadership 10 12 consumer choices 6 9 plastic footprint wetland conservation 2 1 circular economy marine ecology Itajaí BRA 5 Sea Turtle Sanctuary Cape Town RSA Auckland NZL Environmental Orca Research Trust Monitoring Group Melbourne AUS Take 3 The Hague NED Healthy Seas marine biodiversity 8 3 7 watershed management 4 water scarcity plastic pollution GRANTS PROVIDED BY 14
OCEAN SUMMITS As part of Volvo Ocean Race sustainability commitment, and supported by the race partnership with 11th Hour Racing, seven Ocean Summits were held around the world - Alicante (Spain), Cape Town (South Africa), Hong Kong, Newport (USA), Cardiff (UK), Gothenburg (Sweden), The Hague (The Netherlands). These innovative events, designed to use the power of sport to engage key stakeholders on the issue of ocean health, saw the release of ground- breaking data on micro-plastics and a series of local and global announcements in support of the UN Environment Clean Seas Campaign. Vestas 11th Hour Racing, represented by either Mark Towill or Charlie Enright, spoke at six of these events about their powerful ‘View from the Sea’, highlighting the role that athletes can play in harnessing the power of Mark Towill speaking at the first Ocean Summit in Alicante, sport to promote positive change, and calling Spain. The two team leaders, Mark and Charlie Enright took turns speaking at each Ocean Summit. on industry, government and sport representatives to sign the Clean Seas Pledge and take further action. You, too, can take action and sign the pledge at http://www.cleanseas.org/take-action. The UN Environment Clean Seas campaign was supported by the race. 20,000 people and 3 countries signed the pledge, committing to reduce their plastic footprint. Image credit: UN Environment 15
MEDIA & FAN ENGAGEMENT As part of the team’s mission to lead sustainability and use the race as a platform to grow awareness of plastic pollution and other ocean health issues, 11th Hour Racing developed a comprehensive and dedicated communications plan with the team, covering both traditional and social media. SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWING 2 MOST POPULAR VIDEOS 974 News articles featuring the team Vestas 11th Hour Racing Volvo Ocean Race Feeding Frenzy & Ice Exclusion Zone 6 MOST POPULAR POSTS 40,139 1,266,725 focused on sustainability Facebook: Take 3 For the Sea, Hawaii bans sunscreen 16,600 102,000 unsafe for coral reefs, Vestas 11th Hour Racing 314 Activation in Cape Town Instagram: Million potential viewers of 24,600 198,000 Visit our Exploration Zone, Meet the Enrights Twitter: team-related sustainability news Happy Earth Day 558,000 ARTICLES Open Waters?, New York Times (Reach 259 million) Volvo Ocean Race Is A Powerful Platform For Team Vestas 11th Hour Racing And Ocean Health Too, Forbes (Reach 40.1 million) Views of Sustainability Videos Why The Completed Volvo Ocean Race Includes More Than A Nautical Victory, Forbes (Reach 40 million) Round-the-world sailing race works to protect its racetrack, Daily Mail Online, (Reach 39.6 million) ‘Planet is doomed’ unless ocean health improves, says yachtswoman, CNN, (Reach 15 million) 2.9 Million Volvo Ocean Race: Son of gun travels as onboard reporter, New Zealand Herald (Reach 3 million) Foxall a key speaker at World Sailing conference in Mexico, The Irish Times (Reach 2 Million) Monetary value of media coverage (USD) No ‘silver bullet’ for Cape Town’s #WaterCrisis, IOL (Reach 1.15 million) Vestas 11th Hour Racing: Cross-Sector Partnership a Perfect Storm for Sustainable Sailing, Sustainable Brands (Reach 73.3k) Big-hearted sailors’ gift to orca, NewsRoom (Reach 47.3k) Businesses, NGOs Partner to Create New Supply Chains for Ocean Plastic, Triple Pundit (Reach 130k) High Seas Entrepreneur, Hawaii Business Magazine (Reach 9 thousand) 16
OPERATIONS & REDUCTION ACHIEVEMENTS Sustainability Kits Reuse All team members were provided with a personal sustainability kit to support their efforts • The majority of the team’s office area was equipped with furniture that was being reused from the to operate with a lower environmental footprint. The kits included: last edition of the race – folding tables, printers, chairs, bicycles, mini-fridges, coffee pots, and more. • In the team base, public space and hospitality area, the majority of the furniture was rented and • Reusable Water bottle therefore returned at the end of the race. The purchased items remained in good condition and • Reusable Coffee mug were sold back to the supplier for reuse. • Sustainable soap, shampoo, toothpaste and laundry detergent After the race, all team bases were sent to Lisbon, and the team was able to work once more with • Bamboo toothbrushes their Lisbon grantee, Circular Economy Portugal, who organized the donation of furniture and equipment to a co-working space in nearby Beato. • Personal water filter to ensure safe drinking water • Reusable shopping bag Recycle and Compost • The team’s goal was to have a 75% landfill diversion rate, meaning that only 25% of the waste Reduce generated by the team throughout the race would end up in a landfill or incinerator. In actuality, the • The team was committed to not using single-use plastics, which had a significant team achieved 74% which, given the complexities of different venues and recycling schemes at each impact on the team achieving a 74% landfill diversion rate during the race. stopover, this was an impressive achievement. • On the boat, the crew used a watermaker to produce drinkable water from seawater. • Food scraps from the team’s operations on land were composted when the service was available As a standard practice in the Volvo Ocean Race this has not been included in the plastic (8 stopovers out of 12). avoidance calculation - but can be a reduction opportunity for many races and classes. All food packaging came back to land from the boat to be included in the waste footprint tracker, • 15,987 single-use 500ml water bottles were not used thanks to Bluewater water filtration as much as possible was recycled. units that supplied the team, sponsors and guests’ water needs. Food BY THE NUMBERS • The food charter outlines the team’s commitment to sourcing local, sustainable foods from the countries they visited, including sustainable seafood. If you eat just one less burger per week, over the course of a year, it’s the same CO2 emissions reduction as driving 320 miles • By adopting Meatless Mondays, the team reduced their carbon footprint by 2.72 tonnes, prevented less in your car the use of 671,000 liters of water, and helped to raise awareness of this global movement. Did you know that growing a tomato requires 13 liters of water while making one hamburger requires 2400 liters of water? 17
ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT With its long format, complex course and heavy logistics, the Volvo Ocean Race is often described as a massive business trip, and every competing team has an inherent environmental footprint associated with the event. While the teams cannot control some elements, others were addressed, monitored and compensated for. For Vestas 11th Hour Racing, tracking and calculating their environmental impact throughout the race was a key tenet of their sustainability strategy, focusing first and foremost on reducing any negative impacts, and then compensating for unavoidable negative impacts at the end of the race. The team’s environmental footprint is broken down into three main areas: • GHG Emissions • Water Footprint • Waste Footprint Photo credit: Ainhoa Sanchez/Volvo Ocean Race 18 Looking at Vestas 11th Hour Racing, from the other side of Bull Rock.
GREENHOUSE GASES (GHG) EMISSIONS WHAT IS A CARBON FOOTPRINT AND OFFSET? A carbon footprint is defined as the total amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) produced to, directly and indirectly, support human activities, usually expressed in equivalent tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2e). Carbon offsets let you empower projects in communities across the world that reduce GHG emissions beyond what one can achieve through individual action or reduction. Carbon offsets are purchased to fund these projects and diminish the impact of one’s own GHG emissions2. Examples include planting trees, capturing methane gasses, or restoring seagrass beds. The carbon management approach applied by Vestas 11th Hour Racing followed the requirements of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard3, and the data was compiled and CO2e emissions calculated using the UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting4. This aligned with the reporting protocols followed by the Volvo Ocean Race Sustainability Program. The inclusion limits were guided by a financial approach, which meant that everything that was directly funded by the team was included in the calculation. The Volvo Ocean Race was responsible financially and logistically for the centralized services, such as the Boatyard, which meant that the team was not responsible for the associated footprint. Specifically, the team developed a Carbon Calculator based on factors from the UK Government GHG conversion table, on the recommendation from the Sustainability Manager of the Volvo Ocean Race. It is to be noted that the team customized inclusions and exclusions to best reflect the nature of a Volvo Ocean Race team. A breakdown of these is included in Appendix 2. After leaving Itajai, Brazil, the Volvo Ocean Race fleet quickly ran into a oil exploration zone, a reminder of the importance to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. 2 https://www.terrapass.com/ 3 Developed by the World Resources Institute and World Business Council for Sustainable Development. Available at https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-standard 4 UK Government GHG Protocol for Company Reporting 19
CARBON FOOTPRINT TRACKING Below are the parameters tracked by Vestas 11th Hour Racing throughout the campaign and the method of tracking. The final tracked values, be they air miles, kilograms of waste or dollars spent, could then be inputted into the Carbon Calculator which, in turn, produced the team’s Carbon Footprint. ITEMS TRACKED The choice of factors sourced from the UK Government GHG conversion tables, or elsewhere when needed, is explained on the relevant worksheet tab within the Air Travel Services Carbon Calculator. In some instances, this was changed for certain stopovers to - Commercial: Long Haul (>3,700km) - Electricity kWh used reflect the international differences. Short Haul (785-3,700km) - Water liters used The UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting classifies Domestic (
OPERATIONAL SCOPE SCOPE DESCRIPTION VESTAS 11TH HOUR PERCENTAGE OF RACING EXAMPLES EMISSIONS SCOPE 1 Direct emissions of greenhouse gases from e.g. Fuel emissions from 1.2% EMISSIONS all sources owned or controlled by Vestas team RIB, cars & private jet 11th Hour Racing (for emergency travel to the Falkland Islands) SCOPE 2 Indirect emissions of greenhouse gases e.g. Electricity for Team 0.9% EMISSIONS resulting from the generation of purchased Base & Workshop electricity by Vestas 11th Hour Racing SCOPE 3 Other indirect emissions. Most of Vestas e.g. Travel logistics, 97.8% EMISSIONS 11th Hour Racing’s emissions fall into accommodation, freight this category. Where possible these also take into account upstream ‘Well-to-Tank’ impacts. Most of the team’s emissions are classified as scope 3. Where possible, these also took into account upstream “Well-to-Tank” (WTT) impacts6 which can be seen in the Scope 3 adjusted column of the Description of Scope table. The downstream impacts such as consequent use- cycles of the boat and equipment have not been included. It should be noted that using the same boats from the previous edition of the Volvo Ocean Race was a very significant footprint reduction as it avoided the footprints associated with building a new boat. 6 21 Well-to-Tank is an analysis technique of estimating the GHG emissions of the primary (pre-road) fuel production and transportation.
VESTAS 11TH HOUR RACING CARBON FOOTPRINT Vestas 11th Hour Racing Carbon Footprint by Category The team’s carbon footprint for the 2017-18 Volvo Ocean Race was calculated as 1,218 Tonnes CO2e. Air travel, VESTAS 11TH HOUR RACING CARBON FOOTPRINT accommodations, and freight were the ‘big ticket’ items of the team’s carbon impact, totaling more than 85% of BY CATEGORY the overall footprint. This result was similar to the findings of Team Alvimedica’s Carbon Footprint calculations from the 2014-15 campaign. However, introducing tracking form the beginning of the campaign, rather than done in retrospect, revealed accommodations and freight accounted for a larger portion of the team’s footprint than Air Travel 41.5% anticipated. The team’s freight footprint was greatly impacted by the boat repair required in Auckland (see Boat Accomodation 25.6% Repair section) due to the necessity of shipping the boat to Auckland from Hong Kong and flying a new hull section from Italy. This was responsible for 18% of the team’s freight footprint. When compared with partner operations, Goods Freight 24.0% the team’s footprint is more significant because their staff of 20 was much larger than their partners’ onsite staff, Material Use 6.2% and the most substantial impact items, accommodations, and flights were directly tied to staff numbers. Standard industry practice is to set a minimum threshold for tracking categories of emissions. The team set this Fuels & Land Travel 1.4% threshold at 1% of the total carbon footprint. However, every effort was made to track footprint categories that Electricity & other 1.3% were below 1% of the team’s total emissions, to retain this information for a baseline reference. Vestas 11th Hour Racing Carbon Footprint by Department VESTAS 11TH HOUR RACING CARBON FOOTPRINT The cost of compensating for Vestas 11th Hour Racing’s operational carbon footprint will be covered by a grant from 11th Hour Racing given to The Ocean Foundation’s SeaGrass Grow program. The footprint associated with the team’s BY DEPARTMENT guest hospitality program throughout the race will be divided between the team’s partners Vestas, 11th Hour Racing, and Bluewater, and these three organizations have also committed to compensating for their own Volvo Ocean Race footprints. Hospitality Base 8.5%% Standard carbon offset projects have a starting cost of approximately $10 per tonne. This price point would allow the team Partner Hospitality 13.6 % to offset their footprint for roughly $12,180 - a remarkably reasonable price considering they flew over 2 million kilometers. Partner Operations 11.8 % It also shows that offsetting is financially accessible and a small percentage of the campaign budget. Sailing Team Operations 66.1% However, the team opted to offset with blue carbon, through the SeaGrass Grow program. As sailors, boaters, and ocean lovers the team felt it was essential to protect these crucial marine habitats on which our livelihood and sport depends - and we urge other sailing teams to do the same7. This program, as a fledgling research area, has higher associated costs of $25 per tonne increasing the offset cost to $30,450. 11th Hour Racing was happy to raise their offset grant to support the development of scientific research and understanding of blue carbon offsets. 22 7 Vestas and Bluewater’s footprints were calculated with the team’s assistance, and are included within the scope of this report. 11th Hour Racing offsets their operations as standard practice through a separate program, therefore are not included herein.
CARBON FOOTPRINT COMPENSATION - SEAGRASS GROW Seagrass Grow is a blue carbon offset program run by The Ocean Foundation, THE POWER OF BLUE CARBON the same organization that assisted the team in identifying the legacy project grantees at each race stopover. Anyone can voluntarily use the program to calculate their footprint8 and donate to offset it. These donations allow The Ocean Foundation to identify seagrass meadows, mangroves or salt marshes that are under threat and/or in need of restoration. They then work with experts, local organization and scientists to protect and restore these habitats. In Newport, the grantee Blue carbon refers to the ability of salt marshes, seagrass, and mangroves, to selected was Save the Bay. capture and store CO2. Seagrass meadows are found on the coast of every The team learned about how continent, bar Antarctica, and these humble habitats are up to 35 times more marshes sequester carbon emissions and helped dig effective than Amazonian rainforests, in their carbon uptake and storage runnels to allow trapped capabilities! Like rainforests, they are experiencing an alarming rate of loss at Photo credit: Jessica Seevers/ 11th Hour Racing water to flow off the marsh. 2-7% annually, and without protection and restoration projects these critical carbon sinks could be largely gone within 50 years. Sequester Carbon: Seagrasses occupy 0.1% of the seafloor, yet are responsible for 11% of the organic carbon buried in the ocean. Seagrass meadows, mangroves, and coastal wetlands BY THE NUMBERS capture carbon at a rate two to four times greater than tropical forests. Biodiversity: Scientists estimate that we lose a seagrass meadow Seagrass meadows form the basis of the world’s primary fishing grounds, supplying the size of a soccer field every 20 minutes. 50% of the world’s fisheries. They provide vital nutrition for close to 3 billion people, and 50% of animal protein to 400 million people in the third world. Shoreline Protection: Seagrass meadows reduce flooding from storm surges and hurricanes by dissipating wave energy. 8 Data source: The Ocean Foundation It should be noted that online carbon calculator tools only offer a quick and approximate indication of a carbon footprint. As such they are not a substitute for the in-depth calculation contained in this report nor do they contain the same valuable learning opportunities. 23
BOAT REPAIR Vestas 11th Hour Racing had to retire from Leg 4 and could not compete in Leg 5 and 6 following a tragic collision with a fishing vessel in Hong Kong. The team’s VO65 racing yacht suffered significant damage to its port bow. The challenge of the damage, the exacting standards set by the Volvo Ocean 65 One design Rule, and the timing of the race provided only one option for repair. The boat and its equipment were shipped to New Zealand for the upcoming stopover ahead of the Volvo Ocean Race fleet to carry out the necessary repairs. This included having a new bow section built at Persico Marine in Italy and air-freighted to New Zealand. The carbon footprint of these additional logistics including building the new hull piece was recorded and added to the team’s overall footprint calculation. It accounted for 6.8 tonnes CO2e. The model applied was a Life Cycle Assesment (LCA) built and developed by a previous partnership of 11th Hour Racing with Land Rover BAR in the 35th America’s Cup. BOAT REPAIR CARBON FOOTPRINT BY MANUFACTURING STEPS BOAT REPAIR CARBON FOOTPRINT BY MATERIAL TYPE Materials Transport 31% Utiities 10% Materials Transport 32% Resin 8% Part Assembly 35% Plastic 2% Part Manufactured 33% Dry Fibre 27% Consumables 33% The LCA model is the first step in a full Life Cycle Assesment tool that can be made available to the industry to help designers assess the impact of different materials in the construction, use and decommissioning of boats. The model computes the embodied carbon of the various raw materials sourced for the manufacturing of parts and calculates the CO2 emissions of the various processes used in modern boat building techniques. 24
WATER FOOTPRINT Meatless Mondays - going meat-free just one day a week during the campaign accounted for 99% of the team’s water savings! Recognizing that water scarcity is a global issue of growing concern, the team approached water consumption with great responsibility. The team tracked their direct freshwater consumption at each stopover in the following areas: BY THE NUMBERS • Dock 2,496 meat-free meals prevented • Team base 2.72 tons of CO2 from being emitted and • Team workshop 671,000 liters of water being used • Drinking water at the team base The team’s total direct freshwater consumption from these four areas amounted to 14,919 liters of water. Bluewater - Power of Partnerships 16,000 It should be noted that these calculations did not include the team’s complete water impact, such as the upstream water impact of the products they bought, THE TEAM PREVENTED THE USE OF 9,600 particularly food, and it also did not include the impact of processing the 500 ml SINGLE-USE WATER BOTTLES LITERS OF WATER, 2,000 LITERS OF OIL, AND team’s wastewater. NOT USED 6.64 TONNES OF CO2E - IN MANUFACTURING. Consuming water has an impact on greenhouse gas emissions, as processing and transporting water requires energy. The carbon impact of the team’s direct By equipping the team base with two state-of-the-art water filtration and refill freshwater consumption was negligible, at 5 kilograms of CO2e. systems, with a sparkling water option, official supplier Bluewater enabled the team While sailing, the crew used a watermaker to convert seawater into drinking to lower their overall footprint significantly. water. Since the boat’s engine powered the water maker, the associated emissions were included in the team’s carbon calculations. The team’s relationship with Bluewater led to one of the most impressive sustainability achievements of the Volvo Ocean Race: in Cape Town, South Africa, The team’s reduction techniques provide the most interesting insights a mega-city affected by a severe drought, Bluewater installed four water stations regarding the overall water footprint: they reduced their water footprint by a in the Race Village with the support of 11th Hour Racing. Each unit was capable of staggering 677,000 liters through two main initiatives: producing 8,000 liters a day of clean drinking water from previously untapped non- potable water, therefore avoiding the need to bring in tens of thousands of plastic water bottles for the visitors. 25
WASTE FOOTPRINT The team separated and tracked by weight all of the waste produced on each race leg and at each stopover, and classified it as recyclable, non-recyclable or compostable. BY THE NUMBERS The team also recorded the amount of litter removed at beach cleanups 61% of the operational waste was recycled hosted by Volvo Cars at several stopovers - this activity wouldn’t reduce the team’s own waste footprint, but it had a positive impact by directly 13% of the operational waste was composted preventing waste and plastic from entering into the ocean. 26% of the operational waste went to a landfill Additionally the team recorded and included the impact of the rig of their boat that had to be cut away and left in the Southern Ocean after the dismasting incident of leg 7. The sustainability plan developed by the team at the beginning of the race included several best practices to help them reduce waste and encourage resource recovery The total waste footprint (operational waste plus lost rig & beach cleans) was throughout their operations. 3.03 Tonnes. This comprises of 1.71 Tonnes of positive impact, i.e. recycling, The team’s Environmental Purchasing Plan (EPP) was the best practice which composting and beach cleans, and 1.32 Tonnes of negative impact, i.e. underpinned all of the team’s purchasing and had a significant impact on the overall Landfill and the lost rig. The negative impact was compensated for through a waste reduction efforts. ghost fishing initiative, see Waste Footprint Compensation section. Vestas 11th Hour Racing Waste Footprint TOTAL WASTE FOOTPRINT OF VESTAS 11TH HOUR RACING Moving around the world was an added challenge for resource recovery from the team Vestas 11th Hour Racing Waste Footprint base, as each stopover had different rules and regulations. The Volvo Ocean Race Beach Cleans 6.9% sustainability team provided a sustainable stopover guide for each host city, which outlined waste management systems for the event, and the team used this information Recycled 40.9%6.9% Beach Cleans to label our bins appropriately. Moreover, the Volvo Ocean Race sustainability team Composted 8.6% Recycled 40.9% had largely prepared centralized resource recovery recycling systems at each host city stopover. These systems included: Landfill 17.2%8.6% Composted • Composting Rig lost at Landfill Sea 26.4% 17.2% • Common recyclables (e.g. aluminum, plastic, glass, paper) • Plastic film recycling in Auckland and Cardiff supported by host city Rig lost at Sea 26.4% event delivery partners 26
DISMASTING Leg 7, from Auckland, New Zealand, to Itajaí, Brazil, was one of the most grueling Southern Ocean legs in the history of the Volvo Ocean Race. Vestas 11th Hour Racing rounded Cape Horn in second place, but approximately 100 nautical miles southeast of the Falkland Islands, the team’s mast broke just above the first spreader. Winds were over 25 knots with 3-meter waves. To protect the integrity of the boat and for the safety of the crew, the only option was to cut away the rig, leaving it in the ocean. The team then motored to the Falkland Islands where they regrouped and worked tirelessly to rejoin the race. The sailors managed to build a jury rig out of an old lamp post with the help of the Islanders, and the team made it back to the start line of Leg 8. The team donated the jury rig to ANI (Associação Náutica de Itajaí ), a local sailing school in Itajaí that fosters social inclusion for young people who wouldn’t have the chance to sail The decision to cut away the rig did not come lightly. We never want to put anything in the ocean. We otherwise. The organization is now using it as a flagpole. set out in this campaign to be the most sustainable team in the race, and we are not going to let this incident stop that. We are working with 11th Hour Racing to support an organization that removes marine debris in an effort to compensate for this incident. - Charlie Enright, Skipper, Vestas 11th Hour Racing. 27
WASTE FOOTPRINT COMPENSATION Working with 11th Hour Racing and The Ocean Foundation, the team compensated for their waste footprint through the work of Healthy Seas, the final grantee of Vestas 11th Hour Racing’s legacy project. Healthy Seas is a collaborative, cross-sector organization that works alongside divers from the NGO Ghost Fishing to collect abandoned fishing nets - often called ghost gear. Aquafil Group, a for-profit entity, then creates a high-quality raw nylon yarn that can be reused and recycled continuously and is currently used to make socks, bathing suits, and car carpets. The $10,000 grant awarded by 11th Hour Racing for this project will enable the team to compensate for their entire waste footprint as it will empower Healthy Seas and their partners to remove up to 2.1 tons of ghost gear - while also supporting the circular economy. Thanks to the generous donation from 11th Hour Racing we will be able to organize about seven diving trips which will allow us to remove approximately 2.1 tons of ghost gear from the seas. We can’t save the world alone, but by doing something good, we hope to inspire others to follow. According to a recent report, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish. We all have to work hard against it, not to let it happen. - Veronika Mikos, Project Coordinator, Healthy Seas. 28
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APPENDIX File Links Inclusions and Exclusions Team Alvimedica Sustainability Report INCLUSION BOUNDARY Vestas 11th Hour Racing Sustainability Plan Environmental Purchasing Plan (EPP) UK 2017 GHG conversion factors Electricity – Being less than 2% of the total GHG footprint it was decided not to buy the current 2018 factors but to were used for tonnes CO2e (tCO2e) use the International Energy Agency 2013 model. Factors used are in the Carbon Calculator. Food Charter calculations, with the exception of: Team accommodation and flight tracker Water – Being only a small percentage of the total GHG footprint, the UK conversion factors (as opposed to using Air and sea freight tracker different factors per country visited) were used for all stopovers GRI tracker Material and products purchased: - GHG emissions were sourced using the Carnegie Mellon EIO-LCA model to give CO2e per Euro spent - A factor was used to account for inflation from the model base year 2002 to the campaign year 2018 - Euros were converted to US$ A Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) using the For the calculation this model uses its own database with more than 200 entries collected from: Land Rover BAR LCA model was done i. “Online available information” to take into account a boat repair and replacement part made in the UK and ii. “Computation using the estimated price of each items x a carbon coefficient from various sources” shipped to New Zealand mid-race iii. “Computation using EC values from raw materials (or estimated from equivalent materials EC values)” iv. “Computation using EC values from raw materials and estimated amount of energy” v. “Information input from various composite materials manufacturers” Accommodation As per the 2017 UK GHG reporting protocol, business accommodation is included Air travel was calculated using Domestic (7853700 km); was used for all flights above 3700 km (UK included) All flights were factored as economy flights 30
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